All this time
by Clarity23
Summary: The story follows the HA students after their graduation. 8 years have passed and a lot has changed. Were they able to fulfil their dreams? And what are the couples now? The story is better then the summary - I don't own Victorious, if I would .. well, of course Beck and Jade would be together now. -
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

8 years have gone so far and the times of High School are over. Our favourite people from Hollywood Arts have grown up and are living their dreams.

Robbie Shapiro amuses with his weird humour and his ventriloquism talent the whole state of California with his good morning show "MuppetMadness", having Rex still by his side. He also would like to have Cat there, but after she turned down his proposal three years ago, they estranged.

Talking from her, the still red-headed and bubbly Caterina Valentine has started to establish herself in Hollywood. She has starred in three cheesy romantic-comedies and then made a horror movie, which earned her a Golden Globe Award. She then got offered to play the leading role in the High School dramedy "So this is life". Actually, Cat is engaged to her co-star and Hollywood sunnyboy Chad Riley.

André Harris followed his passion and started a music career. He released a very successful album. But soon, he had enough of the sparkling spotlight life and went behind the scenes. Now, he is a very popular songwriter in San Francisco. André only writes songs for bands and singers, who he thinks are really fond of their work. He has also a lot of fun with his countless affairs but is tough a caring and loving father.

Tori Vega got what she wanted: After graduating from college, she tried to get in touch with a lot of record labels. When she was about to lose all her hope, the "Millenium Record" saw her perform at a karaoke bar and contracted her. 2 years ago she had her great breakthrough and is now considered as the new Katy Perry.

Beck Oliver, who was always a fan of acting, went behind the scenes. After college, he started as the assistant director of Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter. Later he managed to produce two very successful movies, a deeply moving drama and a clever, full of sarcasm comedy. For those, he won a lot of awards and was also nominated for Academy Awards as "Best director". His last movie was planned to be a dark psycho-thriller but it turned out as a bad splatter film. Beck got a lot of bad critics for that and is now looking for new inspiration. As well, he misses something. Or maybe someone?

Jade West was offered a record deal in her senior year at Hollywood Arts. First she was okay with it, but then the label bosses wanted to change her style and her personality. And that´s something, she couldn´t accept. So she moved to New York and was attending Juilliard School. While performing at a school intern musical, a talent scout discovered her and offered Jade to enable her career at the Broadway. Now she is the star of nearly every high quality production and is happy, that she can follow her dream of singing and acting without changing herself.

New characters:

**Chad Riley:** A 26years old famous actor. He is a nice but snobbish person and the co-star and fiancée of Cat.

**Carly Harris:** André's 3years old daughter. She was the result of a one-night-stand he had with the actress Alyssa Vaughn.

**James Aronson:** 28years old co-director of the musical "Bonded 'til Eternity" and Jade's boyfriend. They were in a relationship for almost two years now.

**Blair Archibald:** 24years old actress, colleague and friend of Jade. She's very good at manipulating people and intrigues, but still a very good friend.


	2. New city, new chance?

Beck's POV

I was just about to leave my new apartment when it started raining. Well, thank you New York. Does it look like that, when you want to welcome a new inhabitant? Maybe I should try to get used to that kind of weather as I'm going to stay in this city for the next four months. At my arrival two days ago, it was also raining enormously. I ran down the stairs of my front door quickly and jumped in a cab.

"7th avenue please" I said to the cab driver, when suddenly my phone rang. Ah, Tori was calling. Tori Vega is my best friend now. Back in High School, there was always some tension between us two. But we weren't able to date because of my break up with Jade. Tori didn't want to ruin the growing friendship with her frenemy. But when we attended college together, we started going out and were a couple for almost a year. But we slowly realised, that there were no deep feelings involved. No sparks, no excitement, no breath-taking moments of love like I had with Jade. We were just too good in being friends. So we went back to that status. I had often thought about Jade. We all knew, that she turned down a record deal and went away. But she hadn't stayed in touch with nobody excluding Cat.

"Hey T. Vega. How's weather in LA? Here you get kind of wet when you go outside."

Tori giggled. "Well, Oliver, it's a typical California-sunshine day. How are you? Have you already been at the theatre? How are your actors? I heard that Broadway stars are way more difficult to handle then Hollywood starlets."

I had to smirk automatically. My best friend was very good at talking a lot. " Well, I've no idea. I'm just on my way. I'll call you later and tell you everything. Bye pop star!"

"KK, don't forget about it. I'm curious as hell!" Tori replied and hung up.

I paid and got out of the cab. The theatre was huge and very impressive. Inside, at the counter, a young woman was dealing with some papers.

"Excuse me"- I gave her my signature smile and she blushed – " I'm Beck Oliver and .."

"Oh yeah, Mr Oliver. Your actors are waiting in hall number 23, just down the hallway, upstairs on the right" she said with a smile.

"Thanks" I smiled and went along the hallway. Shortly before opening the door, I realised somebody was singing. That amazing and heart-stopping voice I would've recognized anywhere. Anytime. As gently as possible, I opened the door and my heart skipped a beat. There she was, standing on the stage and singing passionately. Jade. She was just as beautiful as in my memories. She had her eyes closed. Her hair was straightened and a little bit shorter then back then. She also went back to her natural, intense dark brown hair colour and removed the coloured extensions. She wore a black skinny jeans and a dark purple shirt, in addition dark brown boots. Her skin was still very pale, but she had no make-up on her face. She was gorgeous and I felt like I was 16 again and like all the feelings I had for that girl were just slumbering deep inside me and now bursting out again.

At that moment Jade stopped singing and opened her eyes. I didn't even recognize that I was moving forward and now I was standing directly in front of the stage. That eyes, the clear blue-green eyes which gave him goose bumps every single time. He hadn't seen them for so long.

"Beck? – Jade seemed kind of speechless- "What the hell are you doing here?"

Jade's POV

I got lost I my song and didn't realise, that someone entered the room. Especially not THAT one. As I opened my eyes, I just saw him looking at me. Beck. I hadn't seen him since our graduation at Hollywood Arts. Yet, I felt like I was sent back in time and briefly remembered our first meeting:

FLASHBACK (Song: Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler)

Jades POV

_Turnaround, Every now and then I get a  
little bit restless and I dream of something wild  
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a  
little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms  
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a  
little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry  
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a  
little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes  
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and  
then I fall apart  
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and  
then I fall apart_

_I was singing one of my favourite love songs. Yeah, it was a bit cheesy, but I loved every single note in it. Just as I wanted to start to sing the chorus, I recognized a guy sitting in the audience. Perplexed, I stopped playing the piano and cried: "Did I make that a show for two? Get outta here!" But, the guy just smiled and said in a calm voice: "I didn't want to interrupt you. I was just on my way home, when I heard you singing. Your voice's amazing!" I frowned and checked him out. He didn't look scared or intermediated, just like other people would do normally. I was highly respected at HA and some people were afraid of me. Of course, they were aware of my talent and my looks. But they stayed away from me, cause of my cold and bitchy attitude. That dude seemed somehow different. "Did something crash your brain? No company desired. LEAVE!" I screamed at him. He just gave me a smirk, which was indisputable charming and said: "I'm Beck Oliver. You must be Jade West". "I don't must do ANYTHING! What are you, Oliver? A creepy stalker?" Now I stood up, grabbed my bag and left the stage. He just kept grinning, as I came over and stopped right in front of his face. Damn, he has really nice eyes … they were like .. heart-warming? Ugh, stop it, Jade!_

"_No", he laughed at my glare and continued "I'm new at HA and you were nearly the first I heard about. Except for that strange Sikowitz teacher, he was the top topic." Now he laughed._

_My heart felt, like it was suddenly melting. What a great laugh. He was pretty handsome too. Dark, fluffy hair, olive tanned skin, his fetching eyes and even his style. Yeah, he wasn't dressed like the random idiots that unluckily went to this school. Not the typical Sunny boy-beach styling but he was dressed very cool. Dark jeans, black boots, a white undershirt which brought out his abs very well and a plaid red and black flannel shirt, which looked exactly like the one I had in my closet. Well, I had to admit to myself, that he was an eye catcher and made my heart speed up a bit. But I would've never ever admitted that to him. "Yeah, whatever", I said with my annoyed voice and rushed out the theatre. _

_Becks POV_

_God, I really had to stop and look, where that fascinating voice came from. Although I had to catch the bus, my curiosity won. And there she was, singing like her life depended on it. She was skinny and very pale. That made her brown hair look darker, than it actually was. It was sleeked and shiny, with pink and white extensions in it. Her face was very beautiful. She had a piercing in her eyebrow and nose. She was dressed in a dark skinny jeans and a black gridded shirt. She didn't look like the other girls he had ever met but she was undeniably gorgeous. Suddenly, she stopped singing and recognized me. _

"_Did I make that a show for two? Get outta here!" she yelled at me with a mean glance. I knew it! That was Jade West. That André guy told me about her earlier that day. He said, that she was extremely talented and hot, but also known as the "wicked witch from the west" because of her mean and cold personality. I was very fascinated of her, so I didn't care much, when she screamed at me and gave her a calm answer. Then she jumped of the stage and stood right in front of me. Oh my gosh, what eyes! They were icy blue with some green shades in it and they gave me goose bumps. Keep calm, Beck! You don't want to be brand marked as a psycho. "I'm new at HA and you were nearly the first I heard about. Except for that strange Sikowitz teacher, he was the top topic." I laughed. She groaned "Yeah, whatever!" and rushed away. _

"_Wow. Jade West, someday you'll be mine." I said to myself, smiling in the direction she left. _

Beck was just about to answer my question, when James entered the room.

"Sounds amazing. Looks beautiful. Can only be Jade West", he smirked and entered the stage. Then he saw Beck. "Hey, you must be Oliver, the Hollywood producer that will join us here. Nice to meet ya"

"Actually, I'm Beck Oliver. You're James Aronson? I read about your shows. Heard you do a great job." He answered in a nice way, but seemed somehow uncomfortable.

"Yeah, thanks. So do you, Oscar-man" James smiled and turned to me "We have to cancel the rehearsal. Garret and Hilary got both sick after visiting a sushi restaurant. Remember me, never to go to "Yaki House", 33rd street. I've to meet with Bill and manage some appointments. See ya later, babe", he gave me a quick kiss on the lips and left the stage. "See ya tomorrow, Hollywood." And he was out of the room.

I looked at Beck, who looked a bit pale-faced, cleared my throat and finally found my voice again. "So. You're the co-producer of our play. Great. Haven't seen you for a long time. What's going on?" I asked and acted as normal as possible. Man, this was a weird situation.

Beck's POV

Okay, so this arrogant James-guy was Jade's new boyfriend. Maybe long-time boyfriend? I've no idea. But I was relieved, because there was neither an engagement ring nor a wedding band. Why would she date someone like him? He wasn't even her type. He was blonde, tall and wore a leather jacket. Please, how ordinary was he? Did she really changed that much? The Jade he knew, would kick the ass of such a wimp. Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Well, that sounded more like the typical Jade.

"Hey Beckett, lost your brain while dating Vega? No surprise yet, but may you give me the honour of answering my question?" she shouted at me.

Ah, there it was. We haven't seen us for eight years and one of the first things she mentioned was Tori. Well, they were never really good friends and I have to admit that I supported Tori very much, even when I was dating Jade. Of course, she was very jealous. After our break-up they started a strange but actually strong friendship. They even stood in touch, after she went to New York. But when Tori and I began dating, Jade stopped contacting her immediately.

"I'm doing well, thanks Jade. Seems like you do so too. You made it on Broadway … I'm very impressed. And no, I'm not dating Tori any more, if that was your question."

"Of course I do well. Actually, better than that, but that's none of your business.

Suddenly, a small, dark haired women entered the stage.

Blair's POV

James just send me a text, the rehearsals where cancelled. Again. Stupid Hilary. Douchebag Garret. They were dating secretly, but the whole cast, damn it, the whole world knew they had something going on. It's not, that I'm not accepting it. They just annoy me. Of course, I was deeply in love with Garret. Then he cheated on me with that stupid bitch and said, I wasn't the one for him. Yeah, great. I'm really sorry, that I have a brain and no fake-tits. Whatever, I cried over him for the last three years and it was even harder, working with them. But, I'm a good actress and nobody knows how I really suffer from this. Except for Jade. She and I weren't really friends as she came to our theatre. She was dark, sarcastic and mean. But she was damn talented. And good looking. No wonder that James fell for her. I couldn't stand her but then everything changed. It was the day, I found out about Garret and Hilary. I was sitting in my changing room and cried. Damn, I cried badly. Then Jade entered, searching for her mobile phone. When she saw me, her face lost the crabby look and she asked "Man. Did your little puffy-puppy died or what?" "No, my stupid boyfriend is cheating on me with a whore. Now leave!" I screamed at her. But instead of leaving, Jade sat down next to me and said "Yeah, that Hilary is such a blockhead. I think the hair bleaching made her brain disappear. And her singing … ugh, don't talk about that. You're not that bad at all, so do you let some brat like her bring you down? Or a douchebag like Garret mess with your feelings? Would be better to smile at them and secretly imagine yourself stabbing them with a scissor. But if you do it in reality, I wouldn't mind joining you." She grinned at me. First I was perplexed. I never heard her talk so much. In a funny and really strange and scary way, she was comforting me. Then I started laughing. From there on, we were best friends.

So it was no surprise that I knew a lot about her. She wasn't an outstanding person and didn't talk a lot about her past. But of course, I knew who that guy, who was standing in the audience was. I saw an old photo of him and Jade. He was Beck Oliver, her high school love. Their history would make a good play, maybe even a movie.

I saw the expression on his face and the mad look at hers. And behind that, I saw her real thoughts. There was something going on. So I decided to break the awkward silence and rush on the stage.

"Hey West, who's that handsome guy? A secret admirer?" She gave me one of her famous glares. Yeah, of course I was used to them, but it was funny to see them both blushing a little bit.

"Nah, that's our new co-director and my ex. Blair, Beck. Beck, Blair." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, nice to meet you. What's taking a Hollywood director to the glorious Broadway?"

He smiled and said "Hi Blair. Well, I needed some break. People there are all the same. If you know one actor, you know nearly every other one. I thought the people in New York are going to be different. So … here I am." He glimpsed at Jade, who was taking her bag and heading to the door. "I've got to go. Bye B." and ... she was gone.

"Ladies and gentleman, the incredible Jade West" I used my announcing voice. "Do you need any information, Mr Hollywood?"

"Um … well… You could tell me something about the guy, James. Good director?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, a great one. And even better in being a boyfriend" Haha, he flinched and I started laughing. Poor guy, but he deserved it. "I've to go now. See ya tomorrow."


	3. Should I stay or should I go?

**At Beck's apartment**

"This is Tori's voice mail. Please leave a message." "Tori, you really, really have to call me back as soon as possible. It's urgent!" I hung up and sat down on my couch. I turned on TV but I wasn't even paying attention. I couldn't believe that I was supposed to work with my ex-girlfriend for the next four months. Supposed to see her the whole day, to talk to her, to see her kissing her douchebag boyfriend … Yeah, I didn't like that James guy. Something in the look Jade gave him, made me feel awkward. It was the same look, she was used to give to me. Seriously, Beckett? Are you falling for your High school love again? After eight years of being separated? You've changed, she has changed. She has a boyfriend now and you … are single. I felt that feeling, which I felt only once. I felt like the day, I saw Jade with Ryder Daniels. We were seniors and prom was coming up. I had rethought my decision of leaving Jade and came to the conclusion to ask her to be my prom date. I wanted to talk to her and solve our problems and maybe start our relationship again. But, one week before the prom night, when I finally had the courage to ask her out, I was rejected. Badly rejected.

FLASHBACK

_I was thinking about that whole thing for weeks now. Jade has changed in some way. Of course, she was still the typical sarcastic, nasty girl. But she got along with Tori and the others so well, she shined in the last two plays at the Blackbox theatre and she was going to sing the leading part in the graduation showcase. She seemed happy. So I tried to make a move on her. It was Friday afternoon, one week left till prom night. Jade was standing at her locker and packing some things in her bag. She looked beautiful, like every day. I took a deep breath and walked over to her._

"_Hey Jade" I smiled at her as nice as possible. She looked at me, smiled back and said "Why are you smirking like that? Finally asked Vega out?" Of course, she didn't mean it. "No, I have other plans. I would prefer your presence. Jade, would you give me the honour and go to prom with me?" I smiled and took her hand. "Uhm. No" she looked at me appalled and I stopped smiling. "But … Why not? I was thinking about it for a long time and it would be great to be together with you. I mean, at the prom." I was confused and had no idea, why she rejected me. _

"_Hey Jade, are you going to stay in school over the weekend or what?" Ryder Daniels entered the hallway, put his arm around Jade's shoulders and looked at me. "What, is Oliver annoying you?" Ryder grinned at me and I was boiling of rage. Man, that guy disgusted me!_

_I was about to reply as Jade said: "I'm going with Ryder. Sorry." Then she turned around and they left the school. Leaving me standing in the hallway like an idiot with a broken heart._

Jade's apartment

"Sooooo … your super-hot ex-boyfriend is the co-director of our play. And you will work with him for the next four months? Blair looked at me and just started to burst in laughter.

"Could you stop laughing like an idiot? Okay, Beck and I are going to work together. Who cares? We broke up NINE years ago. I have an adorable boyfriend and Beck is probably dating some Hollywood chick. So there are no probs. Urgh ... stop laughing!" I shouted at her and she stopped it. But five seconds later she started laughing out loud again. I rolled my eyes, threw a pillow on her and went to my kitchen to make some coffee. It was a huge and open kitchen with work plates of dark marble. It was a stylish yet dire kitchen. Just like the rest of my huge and luxury apartment. I loved living here. I put two pieces of sugar in my coffee and went back to the living room. Blair finally managed to stop laughing, but she looked at me grinning. "Okay, I got it. You don't care. But you can't deny that you were shocked to see him again in the theatre." "Yeah ... maybe. I mean, of course I was. Imagine you saw your ex-boyfriend the last time when you graduated. And one day, he is just standing in front of you and you're supposed to work with him. It's awkward." I had to admit. I heard the door and turned around to see James entering the room. "Hey babe. Oh, Blair, what a surprise to see you here" he said sarcastically but smiled "I brought you some Frozen Yoghurt." "I smiled at him, took the cup and gave him a long kiss. God, I loved him with all of my heart. But, seeing Beck today messed my feelings a little bit. I tried to ignore that and kissed him more passionately. Blair cleared her throat. "Okay, I'll leave you guys alone now. Thanks for the yoghurt, James" She smirked and left the apartment. Just at that moment, James picked me up and carried me to our bedroom.

Beck's apartment

I searched through the channels to find something to watch when suddenly my phone rang. "Hey Beckett. Sorry, I had an interview. What happened?" Tori's voice sounded worried. "Tori, I met my crew today. Guess what? The leading actress is Jade!" I nearly shouted into the phone. "Wait, you mean Jade West. As in your ex-girlfriend Jade West?" Tori was astonished. "Of course I mean her, do you know another one?" "Hey, it's not a reason to be bitchy. How was your encounter?" "Well, it was weird. And it got worse when her boyfriend entered the stage" "Oh. Okay, that's an absurd situation. But I think you're going to handle this. I mean, of course you have to work with her for the next four months. If she has a boyfriend now, there will not be any strange feelings about you. Besides, you two broke up nine years ago and you're both adults now. Not forget to mention, you're both professionals. You'll handle this, Oliver!" Tori seemed secure, but I wasn't near that. When I saw Jade today, my heart really skipped two or three beats. Did I really fell again for my high school girlfriend? Or rather … did I ever stop loving her? I zapped through the channels and stopped at six. "The Scissoring". Jade's favourite move. I remained there and watched it.


	4. Tough work

Heey guys. I appreciate your reviews and hope you still enjoy reading my story. Here's chapter four

**- I don't own Victorious -**

Beck's POV

I woke up at 7:30 as my alarm clock rang. I didn't catch a lot of sleep the last night. I thought a lot about Jade, about the upcoming four months and about the past.

I was very tired while showering and taking breakfast. I made some coffee and put two sugars in it. Jade used to drink coffee like this. Maybe she still did it that way. As I was the one bringing her coffee every day to satisfy her coffee-addiction, I started to drink coffee the way she did when we broke up.

I sighed and went down to catch a cab. When I got out in front of the theatre, I started to get nervous. That was so unlike me, but what should I do? I took a deep breath and entered.

When I got to hall 23 I paused, trooped and opened the door. There were already some people in the room. Blair, who I knew from yesterday smirked and walked over to me. "Hey Beck. I'll introduce you to your other slaves" she laughed and dragged me to the others. "That's Anthony, he'll perform Alec in the play. He's a little bit weird, but a nice guy" The thin and shy looking guy with blonde locks reminded me of Robbie, a friend from HA. "This young lady is Lakisha, aka Robin. She's probably the best ballade singer in the world" A black girl with dread locks smiled at me. "This adorable girl is Ariana, going to play Spencer in the musical. She seems annoying and innocent but trust me, her voice will blow your mind away" The small girl with short red hair hugged me happily. Weird, she was just like Cat Valentine in high school. "And … the fake blonde over there is Hilary, next to her, her boyfriend Garret. But they're not officially dating." Blair had an annoyed but somehow sad expression on her face. Maybe that Garrett-guy was her ex-lover or something. Well, as long as there were no problems, it's not of my business.

"Hey guys! I'm Beck and it's nice to meet ya all. I'm looking forward for the next four months and I'm really excited about working with you." I smiled my signature smile and they smiled back. Except for that Garrett, who seemed a little bit cocky. Damn, I hate such guys. Just as I finished my thoughts, the door was opened and Jade stormed in, James entered the room behind her. They were arguing, or at least Jade was grumbling and James just seemed very annoyed. "We're sorry guys. But Mrs West just turned off the alarm clock and preferred to stay in bed. Be aware, we had no time to get her coffee" James explained. "Yeah, no time." Jade snuffled. I secretly laughed my ass off. Jade was not easy to handle and we also used to argue a lot. And to release her in public without coffee, that was a huge mistake. Luckily, I brought some coffee with me and offered her a cup. Jade looked at me suspicious but then she grabbed the cup and sipped at it. She seemed surprised, but continued drinking the coffee.

"So, Oliver just saved our lives. Thank you man" James grinned at me and continued talking to the others "As you know, he is a very successful director in Hollywood and he is going to co-direct our play. Any further questions?" "I have!" Ariana giggled and asked "Does Beck have a girlfriend" I laughed and responded "No, I'm available. But I'm not looking forward to have a relationship at the moment" I looked at Jade who quickly turned her head away. "Anything else?" "Yeah, you directed "Beneath the truth". How was it to work with Natalie Portman?" Anthony asked. "Oh, she's a great and very professional actress. She also was very funny and told great jokes" I laughed. "There are rumours, that you once dated that hot pop starlet, Tori V. Are they true?" That annoying Garrett stared at me with a conceited look. "Uhm … yeah. We were dating at College for a short time. No big deal." "Okay, so can we now start rehearsals or do you want to continue talking about the lousy lives of some Hollywood starlets?" Jade called out and walked towards stage. "Her mood is just as great as always." Anthony mumbled, but the rest of the actors followed Jade. Wow, I felt like I was in high school again.

Jade had the leading part of the play, Brooke, a girl who is torn between two lovers and gets pregnant. She decides to stay with the father of the kid, which is supposed to be Alec. But she is still head over heels of Lucas, portrayed by Garrett. At the end, he dies in a car crash on the way to the hospital, where Brooke is giving birth to her daughter. She calls her Lucy and it is revealed, that Lucas was the real father of the baby and Alec just forced Brooke to stay with him. When Brooke hears of Luca's death, she finally leaves Alec to build up a new life for her and her daughter in Europe.

Jade had to sing five songs alone and two duets, one with Garrett and one with Ariana, who portrayed Brooke's sister Spencer. Lakisha was Robin, Brooke's best friend and Hilary had the role of Alec's affair, Brittany.

They were all very professional and I was impressed, how fast the rehearsal reached its end. When they started to go home, Jade came quickly to me, gave me my cup, said "Thanks" and walked away. I was surprised but I smiled.


	5. Old faces, new stories

Okay, so this one is a little bit longer. I hope my few readers like it

**Jade's POV**

It was the third week, after the rehearsals had started and James was flying to Seattle over the long weekend. I was a little pissed, because I hoped to spend the time with him. So it was Friday afternoon, me sitting on my couch, sapping trough the channels and thinking about Beck. The first days were very awkward, but now we're getting along well. I enjoyed spending time with him again, it was like we were in Hollywood Arts. Except for the fact that I was in a relationship with James and not Beck. But it was okay. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I didn't expect any visitors, since Blair spent the weekend in Florida. I opened the door and a red-headed girl screamed "Jadey!" and jumped on me. "Oh my gosh, Cat? What are you doing here? Get off of me!" I screamed at her but I smiled. You wouldn't believe that, but I was happy to see Cat. I haven't seen her for nearly two years and I had to admit that I missed the bubbly red-head. "Ohhh Jadey, I'm sooo happy to see you! Guess what? I'm filming a new movie and some scenes take place in New York … sooo, here I am. I'm going to stay in Big Apple for three weeks! Cat giggled slaphappy and hugged me once again. I sighed and let her do so for four seconds. That was unusually long for me. "Alright, alright. That's enough. Come in" I got rid of her and led her to my living room. "Oh, you changed some things. It looks nice … not as scary as usual. Where's James?" she smiled at me curiously. "Well, James is on a business trip over the long weekend. What's new, Cat? Which movie are you shooting?" I asked her. "Hahaha .. shooting is a funny word. You know, one time, my brother…" She drifted away, planning to tell some strange story of her elder brother. Man, that guy was not right in the head. Comparing to him Cat was the normality in person. "NO! I've heard enough crazy stories about your brother. Continue with your movie … please." I just added the "please" because Cat looked, like she was about to cry. Yeah, she can be very emotional and I was sure that she had a bipolar disorder. So I'm always trying not to be as hard to her as to others. Okay, okay what a surprise. Jade West, amicable. It's rare, but sometimes I care about people.

"Ooooh our movie is soo cool. It's about a group of four girls, who are on a trip to Spring Break, but their car breaks down near a small town. And the town is full of creeps who want to kill them. But one of them, Sophia, who I play, is saved by a handsome guy, who saw her running away from there. Then Sophia thinks she escaped but the guy turns out to be son of the mayor of the town. As she realises that, it's too late. So no Happy-end for the poor Sophia, but I think you'll love the movie" Cat looked at her expectantly. "Yeah. Sounds nice and bloody. You could invite me to the premier, red-head. Wait – if the main location is a small town, why are you filming in NY?" I asked her confused. "Oh, that's just for the start. We shoot at the Columbia University and in an ancient hotel in Brooklyn… Do you think my hair will taste like cupcake cream, if I wash it with sugar?" A serious answer … and, there she was, the ditzy Cat with her random thoughts. Just at that moment I recognized a sparkling ring on her finger. "Umh, Cat? Do you want to tell me something else?" I stared at the ring and prayed that it was no engagement ring. I hated her boyfriend, that Chad-kid. He was the prime example for a lousy Hollywood starlet. He was full of himself, stupid and not worth to be called an actor. He started to suck up to Cat on a movie premier two years ago. Cat was head over heels for him, though she just turned Robbie's proposal down, three weeks before that. I was never really fond of the puppet master but he was the better choice. He loved Cat with all his heart and would do everything for her. As he asked her to marry him, everybody was sure, she would accept and they were going to have a perfect marriage. Well, at least as perfect as possible with these two oddballs. But she turned him down. She said, she wasn't sure about it and I was totally standing behind her. But what was that now? She has been dating Chad for ONE YEAR now and she accepted his proposal? "God, Cat. I would really like to say, that I'm happy for you. But are you sure about that? I mean, you turned Robbie down, because you were insecure although you two were a couple for four years! And now you're going to marry Chad, who you dated one single year? Are you kidding?" I looked at her concerned. "But .. But I … " suddenly, she started crying. She cried really hard and I tried to comfort her. "I .. I'm sorry, Cat. If you love him, you should do what you think it's the best. I don't want to barge in." I didn't plan to make her upset like this. I just wished the best for her and didn't want her to end up with an idiot who will leave her two years after the marriage for some blonde pop-star. "N.. No .. that's it. I was hoping you would tell me your opinion. I really love Chad but …" she started sobbing again. "But what, Cat?" "I think I have still some feelings for Robbie. I thought about it and I was soo sorry for turning him down. And I regret it. But I think, he hates me now and he deserves someone better than me. That's why I'm going to stay with Chad." I was shocked. I've never heard Cat talking like that. She was always bubbly and happy about everything. Of course, I knew her other side, the rare showed sad side. But I've never heard her sound so … mature? Serious? "Cat ... how could you ever think of that? No human being could ever be better than you. You're the love of Robbie's life and he would be happy as hell to have you back! Don't waste your time with Chad anymore!" I looked her in the eyes. God, I never said such nice things before to anybody. Never ever in my entire life. But it was true. Cat gave me a light smile and said "Thank you so much, Jadey. But I made my decision. The wedding is on July 23rd. I hope you will support me however." I looked at her. I wanted to tell her, that it was the wrong decision. That she will make herself unhappy, but I didn't. I told her, how I thought but it was HER life and HER decision. "I'll make some coffee. And guess what? I have some red-velvet cupcakes in the fridge, James bought them yesterday." Finally, a laugher came from Cat. "Yaay! Hey, what about your new play? How is it going on and who's the mysterious co-director?"

I sighed. I tried to avoid that topic, but that was impossible, of course. But, maybe it wasn't that bad to talk with Cat about that situation.

"Uhm, yeah … it's Beck." I mumbled. Cat, who was just taking a bite of her cupcake started to cough. "You mean ...*cough* Beck, like Beck Oliver?" "No Cat, like Beck Pitt. Of course Oliver!" I rolled my eyes. "Woow. Well, that's big news. How are you two getting along? How did he react to James? You know, once my brother met the ex-boyfriend of his crush, he .. " "CATERINA!" "Oh, right, no brother stories. Sorry. Go ahead" she smiled at me full of expectation. "Well … It's strange. But it's getting better. And Beck and James get along well. It's all okay." Cat looked at me suspiciously, but didn't say anything. So we started to watch TV, talk about old times and ended up looking at my photos from high school.

"Oh my god, I remember that one!" Cat smiled. "We were singing at that Karaoke bar and that mean girls won, because one was the daughter of the owner. Later, Tori won as Louise Nordoff. That was fun!" "Yeah, right. Tori won. That' s unfrequent" I said sarcastically. "C'mon, Jadey! You're a great Broadway star apart of the shiny Hollywood business. I thought you liked it." "Of course, I love it. But I was talking about Hollywood Arts. I was the star of the school, I was casted for nearly every play and showcase and one day that oh-so-perfect Vega-girl showed up and took my spotlight. The plays, the concerts and even Beck!" Now I was enraged. I tried to bury those stupid old feelings, but it was hard. I still wasn't able to really like Tori. But not because of the spotlight take-over. Because of Beck.

_FLASHBACK_

_Cat just left to search the other awful skirt, which I was supposed to wear that night. Yeah, I would perform at the Platinum Music Awards in front of millions of people. But something inside of me told me, that it was wrong. Suddenly, I heard Beck's voice … as well as Tori's. I looked around to see Cat's video chat still open. They were in Tori's living room. He was leaning towards Tori … No, how could he! But Tori stopped him. "We can't kiss" "Why?" "It's … because of Jade." That made me gasp. "She's my friend." I was never very into Tori, unlike everybody in HA. But she refused to kiss Beck, although it was obvious, that she also wanted to kiss him. Just because she didn't want to hurt me. Because she considered me as her friend. I didn't get it. I was always so mean to her and yet, she liked me and was so loyal. I was confused. And badly hurt. Beck wanted to kiss Tori and she refused to. SHE, not him, SHE! That broke the rest of my heart and made me feel completely blank. All the hope I had carried with me since our break up was gone. All the wishes, I had hoped to come true disappeared. Beck was in love with Tori and like it wasn't bad enough, I just felt respect and sympathy for the decent brunette. Then I made a huge, totally not Jade-like decision._

"I'm hungry!" Cat interrupted my thoughts with her squeaky baby-voice. "Yeah .. me too. C'mon, I'll take you to my favourite restaurant!"


	6. A table for two – ugh, three?

**Hey guys (: **

****Thanks a lot for your reviews, they mean a lot to me (Special gratitude to ingsception)!

I already wrote the first part of Cat's wedding, but don't want to add it too early, so I have to do some other chapters. But I also have loads of ideas left for them, so it shouldn't be that difficult ;)  
Tomorrow I'm going on holiday for at least two weeks, so this is my last update so far. I hope you will continue reading my story later again.  
Greetings to all of you

(Nobu 57 is a real restaurant in New York. I've no idea if it's good, but it sounded so.)

**- Victorious belongs to Dan Schneider -**

**Jade's POV**

Because of the fact that my favourite restaurant was just a ten minute walk from my apartment, I decided that we could renounce a cab. But that was a bad decision. As I my face was present on Broadway nearly all the time, I was well-known in New York and sometimes people asked me for an autograph or a photo. If I was in a good mood, I off and on agreed to that. But that was nothing in comparison to the walk of pain, which we had to go through to reach my restaurant. Damn, we weren't able to go two metres without Cat being recognized by some random fans. They were really annoying but Cat was a cute person and she could not leave anyone without a signed piece of paper … or body part. Ugh, gross! I'm so glad that I turned my back to this fake world without any privacy. Just smiling into every camera and pretend like you're not annoyed by those hysterical people, who cry your name? So not my world. After 20 minutes we finally reached the Nobu 57. It was a stylish sushi restaurant with a gourmet kitchen. And it was dark. I loved it.

I was a famous guest and the waitress headed to my favourite table at the very end of the big room. She handed us the menu and went for drinks. "Wow, the meals sound very delicious. Hahaha Sashimi, what a funny word! That salad must be good" Cat giggled. I just rolled my eyes and decided to order my usual dish. "Jadey, do you think a monkfish is a mix of a monkey and a fish? The one time my brother ordered a monkfish .." "CAT! Stop it! And no, sweetheart, it's not a combination of a monkey and a fish. It's just a freaky looking fish." The waitress showed up and took Cat's attention. Good for me. I forgot how exhausting Cat could be. After the waitress went away Cat seemed a little bit nervous. She played with her hair and stomp with her feet. She was driving me nuts! "God, what's wrong with you? Why are you all twitchy?" She gave me a look and sighed. "Jadey, I know you don't like Chad and weddings and ketchup on hot dogs and parades and tuna fish and twins and aloe vera and parades and birthday parties and ..." "Seriously, Cat. if you want to finish before dawn, you should stop here and tell me what you want." She sighed again and looked me right in the eyes. "Jade, would you be my maid of honour?" I was surprised. I didn't see that coming. I mean, yeah I hated Chad and weddings … but if Cat asked me to be her maid of honour, how could I say no? She looked at me anxiously and bit her lower lip. I gave her a smile and said "You know what, Cat? You're right, I don't like Chad and I really don't like weddings. But I'm gonna ignore that and be your maid of honour. I'm just wondering, why you picked me for that." She jumped from her seat and hugged me with a bright smile on her face. "Why not? You're my best friend since middle-school. Who else should I ask for that favour?" I smiled and got rid of her. "But under one condition: I choose my dress. Just me and nobody else. Got it?" "Got it. But please don't take a scary dress. I want a brilliant dream wedding. I've already found a wonderful dress, you wanna see a photo of it?" "Sure." I shrugged. Cat showed me enthusiastically a photo of the dress. I had to admit that it was really beautiful. Too flouncy for me but it would look fabulous on Cat. "OH MY GOD! BEEEEEEEEEEEEECK!" All of a sudden, Cat screamed and ran toward the door. I looked at the entrance and really, Beck was standing there and seemed confused. Cat jumped on him and he smiled surprised. I saw them talking to each other and Cat pointing in my direction. Oh, come on! I didn't want him to sit with us, but it was too late. Cat already took his arm and pulled him to our table. "Jadeeey, please let Beck join us. I haven't seen him for ages!" "Yeah, like it's not enough that I have to deal with him on weekdays, now on my free weekends too?" I gave him a glare and he gave me a look. I could not interpret it right: was he mad at me or even hurt? "C'mon Jade. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaseee" Cat stared at me with her puppy-eyes and I sighed and gave in. "Whatever"

**Beck's POV**

I was starving. The day was full of work so I didn't have time to eat anything. But I also hadn't any time to buy anything to eat what meant that my fridge was empty. Great. Luckily for me, New York is full of restaurants. I decided to go by foot, explore my neighbourhood and maybe I'll find a good place to appease my hunger. Hopefully. After only five minutes of walking I saw that huge building. Nobu 57, a Chinese restaurant. It seemed like a good one, so I entered it. The waitress came to me immediately and I told her that I needed a table. "I' m sorry, Sir. All tables are occupied. Do you want to wait at the bar and drink a tea on the house?" "Actually, I'm really hungry and I …" I was interrupted by a familiar voice which shouted my name. Just a few seconds later a red-headed girl jumped on me und hugged me tightly. "Beeeeck! I haven't seen you for ages! How are you? What are you doing here? Oh wait, you're directing Jade's musical, I forgot about that. Do you wanna sit with us? Oh pleaaaaaasee! C'mon!" "Hey little girl! It's so good to see you again" I smiled at her warmly. Cat was always like a little sister for me and I had to admit that I missed her crazy but sweet personality. "See, Jadey's waitin' at our table and we have enough room for another guest. Come on!" She pointed in a direction. And there was Jade sitting and she seemed not very thrilled about my sudden appearance. I was not sure, if I should join them. Sure, we were able to work together well – but meeting in our spare time? But I had no chance to protest as Cat already pulled me to the table. She begged Jade to let me sit down and I felt stupid, that she had to do that for me. "Yeah, like it's not enough that I have to deal with him on weekdays, now on my free weekends too?" Jade gave me one of her infamous glares and I shivered. Man, she still had a huge impact on me. But she clearly made her point – I wasn't welcome. I was about to leave as Cat begged her again with her puppy-eyes. That was it. Jade gave in and let me sit down. I was still unsteady. But my growling stomach told me to stay and order something to eat.

"Beck, tell me something about your life. You were a little bit absent from the showbiz since your last film. What happened? And how did you get the opportunity to direct Jadey's musical?" Cat looked at me curiously. I sighed. It was not her fault, her brain didn't work as fast as the one's of normal people and she was totally clueless. After the big hype about my movie ("Flop of the year") everybody in the whole United States knew why I needed a break from the biz. Like Jade, who now seemed uncomfortable in her situation as she was cutting her napkin with purple scissors. Don't ask me, where she got them from. Jade was able to conjure scissors up at any time and nobody knew, where she was hiding them before. I got used to that fact long time ago but it was funny to see that she was still doing that. "Hellooo? Anybody there?" Cat waved her hand in front of my face and interrupted my thoughts Yeah, right. "Well Cat … You may or may not have recoginzed, that my last movie was not very successful…" "Yeah, that's understated" Jade mumbled tauntingly. I ignored her and continued my explanation. "… and I got a lot of bad critics and was not very sure, where my inspiration went. So I tried to discover it somewhere new, you know a complete new place. And then a friend of mine told me that a friend of him searched a co-producer for a play which he was directing. And yeah … here I am now." I smiled at her warmly. She giggled "That friend of your friend is James, right? Do you like him?" Jade choked on her drink and stared at Cat. So did I. "Umm…" I couldn't stand Jade's boyfriend because I thought he was a douche and not the right choice for her. But it wouldn't be the best to say that to them. "He's quite cool and a good director. It's easy to work with him" That wasn't even a lie. As much as I wanted to tell something really bad about this guy, it was impossible. He really was nice and cool and did a great work. He made jokes with his actors but also knew how to use his authority. James also agreed to my ideas and listened to my suggestions for improvement. And he was great to Jade. He loved her and she loved him. It hurt me to say that but they were the perfect couple. Like we two used to be. But James reacted cooler to her outbursts and calmed her down and made her smile. He was a decent guy. But I HATED HIM! Not because of jealousy, that was just not me. I was just … You know … I mean … Ah, screw it! I've no idea. I just didn't like him. "Beck? Are you still present on this planet?" Jade's voice interrupted my thoughts. My meal had arrived. "What? I mean, yeah, of course. Wow, looks great. Enjoy your meal, Ladies" I just started eating and tried to regain my calmness. Jade and Cat exchanged a look, shrugged and started to eat as well. After five minutes of greedy silence, I tried to start a normal conversation again. "So, Cat. What brings you to the Big Apple?" Cat seemed glad that I talked again and started talking about her new movie and everything. Haha, the script could be one of Jade's. "…. Oh, and what I wanted to ask you: Could you please set no rehearsals on July 23rd?" "Could be difficult, that's just two weeks before the premiere. Why do you ask?" "Well, it's my wedding day and Jadey's my maid of honour. And you and James are my guests as well. It wouldn't be good if there are any rehearsals" Cat simply stated. "Oh my god, you're getting married? Congratulations, little girl" I hugged her and she smiled thankfully. "So, Chad Riley proposed to you? Why didn't I hear anything on the news?" I scowled. Cat was a big star, so was her boyfriend. He was this typical Hollywood sunnyboy. Nice but dumb. But Cat wasn't an intellectual as well so… "Yeah, we wanted to keep it secret 'til I come back to LA" "Oh, okay. Hey, that's great news. Of course I'm coming to your wedding and Jade will get vacation for sure. I heard that she's sharing the bed with her producer" That sentence just flipped through my lips. Ooops. Cat gave me a disbelieving look and Jade nearly stabbed me with her fork. Luckily, I saw it and moved my hand away quickly. "Shut your face, Oliver" she spat and continued eating her food. I was surprised, so was Cat. Jade calmed down so easily? The old Jade would have jumped on me and cut my hair of with her scissors. The calm Jade was scarier than the wild one. Was this James' impact? I couldn't believe it.

The ringing of a mobile phone broke the silence and Cat answered the phone. "Yeah. No, I'm eating with friends! What? You must be kidding! Come on, George, I haven't seen them for forever! But ... uhm … ugh, fine!" She hung up and looked at us sadly. "That was my director. We have to change some things in the script and blabla ... they need me. I'm sorry, I hope we can continue another time. Bye bye" She waved, paid her bill and went out of the door. We looked at her, than each other in the eyes. Well … I looked her in the eyes. She gave me an annoyed look, moaned and continued eating.


	7. What is and what should never be

**I'm back (:**  
I had a great holiday and I came back … and no new reviews. That's somehow depressing, but I love my existent reviewers and followers. Keep reading (:  
I was asked to put in more of the other characters. I'm starting with this chapter and I'm going to introduce the others later too.  
**Enjoy!**

_**By the way, it's shocking, that Victorious is cancelled. Stupid Nick! But we still have FanFiction, right? **_

**Jade's POV**

After Cat's precipitous leaving, we sat there in silence for a few minutes and ate the rest of our meals. Beck seemed a few times like he wanted to say something to start a conversation but he gave up every time. I was annoyed, I mean really annoyed. I was pissed, that the nice evening I planned with Cat ended with Beck and me sitting in a restaurant in silence, like we were competing, who was able to be the most boring counterpart. That was just stupid! We didn't have to act like this, we are fuckin' adults now! "So… are we going to act like shy and infantile kids or can we start forming a comfortable relationship?" Beck looked at me with big, questioning eyes. "I mean … the whole you and me thing is something that happened in the past and we both moved on. We should start talking to each other without feeling awkward. We are not forced to be the best of friends but as we have to work together for a while, we should form a platonic correlation. Agreed?" He was still staring at me and he still had his mouth shut. I groaned angrily, took my things and said "Okay. Fine. Let me know when you reach adulthood. Bye!" I paid my bill and exited Nobu. How could he be so dumb? Was it that hard to agree with my reasonable offer? God, I need a coffee, now! Across the street, there was a Starbucks but I didn't' like them. Every idiot goes there and the coffee isn't that good. Two blocks from here was my favourite coffee shop. "JUST coffee". And the name was perfect because that was all they had: coffee, coffee and coffee. But it was a good one. So I jumped in a cab and ordered the driver to wait for me in front of the shop. Luckily, there were not many guests and I was the second to be served. "Hi. A cup of black coffee with -" "Two sugars." Someone behind me finished my order. Surprised, I turned around just to see a head full of brown and chaotic locks. "Oh my gosh. Robbie Shapiro?" "Hey Wicked-witch-from-the-West. How are you doin'?" He smiled at me and attempted to give me a hug. I was really surprised and backed off. Robbie seemed a lot more mature and confident like I remembered him. "Don't play with your life puppet-master. Just because we haven't seen us for a while it doesn't mean that you are allowed to touch me." I said in a warning tone but smiled at him. He laughed "Aaah, the good old Jade. Nice to see that you are still a lovely person." "Don't push it, sweetheart. So, what brings you to the city of the cities? The last time I saw your show, it was still located in L.A." "You're watching my show? Damn, that means I really made it." I grinned "Don't piss yourself because of that joy. I just sapped through the channels these days and came across it. Speaking of it, where is your stupid puppet?" "Rex is taking a timeout in Malibu. I'm here for private reasons." I was quiet and suddenly it clicked. "You're here because of Cat! I knew it. How did you know that she is here?" "Contacts, Baby. I – " "EXCUSE ME?" "I mean, contacts, Jade. I also heard that she is going to marry that stupid douchebag and I wanted to convince her to not do so." "Okay, first of all: I've no idea, when you did start to be a man but I'm impressed. It took you long enough. Second: Cat is in a meeting with her director at the moment. She's staying at the Four Seasons. Go there and wait for her." "Uhmm … ok. Thanks Jade!" He said and ran through the door, jumping in MY cab. Oh, you'll pay for that, Shapiro! But secretly, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for him. He had to change Cat's decision. "Excuse me, Miss West. Your coffee is starting to get cold" The waitress looked at me with big eyes. "Damn. A new one, please."

**Cat's POV**

The meeting didn't take very long and I was a little bit mad at George. I haven't seen Jade and Beck for soooooo long and then he had to order me to a discussion on whether add another supporting role, which would die soon in the movie or not. Phooey! First I wanted to visit Jade again but I was very tired so I took a taxi to my hotel. In front of it, some fans were waiting for me. I wasn't in the mood to give autographs but it was cold and they were waiting, sure for long. Awww. So I signed their papers and photos and ten minutes later, I was on the way to my suite. "Hey little red-head" I stopped opening my door and slowly turned around. "Robbie." I whispered. I was shocked. He was the last person I had expected to see. But he also was the first person I wished to see. Ouch, my head hurt because of that twisted feelings. "What are you doing here?" He seemed uncomfortable. "I … I heard about your engagement. I heard it and I knew I had to find you and convince you to not marry Chad. The first question which came in my mind when I heard about that was, why didn't you want to marry me. Cat, we were together for four years! And we both know that we had feelings for each other long before we even started dating. I knew that you were the love of my life and I wanted to spend it with you. And you turned my proposal down, just to marry some random idiot three years later? Why Cat? Why did you choose him and not me?" Robbie had tears in his eyes and so did I. I hurt him so badly and still he came here to see me and talk about his feelings. I wanted to comfort him and say that I loved him all the time and that I was stupid to not accept his proposal. I wanted to tell him, that my career was just starting, when he asked me to be his wife. That I was confused and didn't know what to choose: love or fame? And I wanted to tell him that I will love him forever. But I started to cry and instead of all these things I said to him: "I'm sorry, Robbie. I never meant to hurt you. But I'm engaged to Chad now and we are going to get married. I can't tell you, why I chose to marry him. But it is how it is now. I just … can't. Sorry." With those words, I turned around, ran into my suite, closed the door and sank to the floor. I never cried so hard before.

**Robbie's POV**

A simple question. I just wanted to know, why she didn't chose me. But she wasn't able to give me an answer. To see her cry like that made me endlessly sad. Not that I wasn't sad before. When I heard about her engagement, I felt like my heart was bursting into a million pieces. Just like the time, she left me. Cat ran into her suite and left me alone in the hallway. Again. It felt like a déjà-vu.

_FLASHBACK_

"_I just … can't. Sorry." I looked her in the eyes and I couldn't believe it. I asked her to be my wife in the morning. We were having breakfast on my terrace and made a walk on the beach. It was our first free day since months and we enjoyed it. We sat down in the sand and watched the waves crashing on the cliffs a few miles away. I looked at her. She was just as amazing as always. I still couldn't believe that this wonderful girl belonged to me. And I wanted everybody to know that. It was the perfect moment. I've expected her to be all cheery and hyped up and that she would immediately start to plan the wedding. But it wasn't like that. She stared at me, than at the ring in the box and then again at me. "I … I have to think about it." She stood up and walked away fast and left me speechless on the sand.  
Later, I came to see her at her apartment and then she said those words which crashed my world like a meteorite. That was it. I lost her._

I lost her again.


	8. There is no other way

**Hellooooo (:**

This is just a very short filler-chapter. I wanted you to stay tuned, because my next chapter is going to have a very serious and sad subject and I want to make it as good as possible. That one might be much longer than the other but it'll also need more time to write. So, I hope you stay faithful to me and my story, I love you all (:

**I – Do – NOT – OWN – VICTORIOUS.**

**Jade's POV**

I couldn't believe it. I mean, really, Cat was unbelievable! I heard the story about Robbie and I still couldn't believe that she rejected him. When she told me about her wedding plans, I could see that she wanted Robbie to stop her from this. And now, she is still marrying Chad. I really don't get her. But I had no opportunities to talk to her because her crew left NY this Monday morning. I'm going to call her after my rehearsal and talk to her about that. For now, I have to manage my own business. And that business was Beck – what a surprise! He entered the theatre this morning without greeting anyone and he avoided any eye contact with me. So we started to rehearse and I got lost in my role and everything went great, like always. "You're awesome, babe. That musical will blow the people away, I know it!" James smiled proudly at me and gave me a light kiss. "Guys, before you leave, I have an appeal. The principal of the St. Jude High School invited you all to their school. They want to give their drama students the opportunity to talk to real Broadway actors and actresses and they hope that you will give them advices, how to make it on the big stage. Channel 6 will film the whole thing and we have free promotion for our musical too. What do you think?" He looked at us expectantly. "Great idea. I'm totally in!" Ariana said happily. The others agreed to it as well. I wasn't sure about it. It seemed, like we did that just for publicity and not to help the kids in school. But on the other hand, I could give them really good advices. There are enough sunshine-Barbie-girls out there. "So, when is the great day?" I asked curiously. "Friday. It starts at 9 o'clock in the morning and goes 'til 4 in the afternoon, if you're all okay with it." Everybody agreed with that and they started to talk about it excited. James called the school to assure our presence and I stand there, lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, Beck approached me. "Hey" he smiled his signature smile "I thought about your words and I came to the conclusion, that you were totally right. We were acting like stupid children and we should start being professional. Sooo … Hi, my name is Beck Oliver and I'm your new co-director." I had to grin. "Hey Beck. I'm Jade West, the star of our musical. Nice to meet ya" We smiled at each other until James came back and sent everybody home. God, was I happy that this issue was done.

**Beck's POV**

I had no alternatives. Jade seemed very serious about the whole "platonic relationship" thing. So I had to agree with her and now I'm really going to try to be as professional as possible. If she only stopped looking at me with those piercing blue-green eyes …


	9. Hate is safer than love Part 1

_**Hey guys!**_

_It took me long to write these chapters … I was busy with working at my summer job and bla bla bla._

_This chapter will be a three-parter and have a serious theme. I've thought a lot if I should write about that or not and I came to the conclusion that I really wanted. I've tried my best to make it as real as possible and I hope I can compromise such an incident._

_**Part 1**_

**Jade's POV**

St. Jude's was a typical upper class school with snobbish students. I hated such schools. Before I got into Hollywood Arts, I went to a similar middle school – and it was awful! The students here were just like the kids in my old school, maybe a little meaner but still stupid. I was standing in the school's theatre and was surrounded by some wannabe-actresses and hormone-guided boys. Urgh, they were all so talentless and unspecial! I tried to be as nice as possible to these brats, just to do James a favour. On top of that crap, the camera man of Channel 6 filmed the scene. Suddenly, I spotted a girl who was sitting on the side of the stage and drawing. She had light brown hair and looked very skinny. But she was the first who I was interested in. So I decided to leave the Barbie and Ken-group. "Hey. I'm Jade. Great picture. You like to draw?" I asked her curiously. She looked at me surprised and hesitated. "Well… apparently. I knew that those bitches would take the whole attention so why should I try to talk to someone today? I'm Joy." "Guess what, Joy? I'm annoyed of these bitches too. They're all the same and seem talentless." I grinned. "Unlike you. I've seen you on "West Side Story" three years ago and last year on "Spring Awakening". You're an awesome actress and even better singer!" she looked shyly at me. "Yeah, I know. But thanks for that. Do you sing?" "A little. I mean, I sing for myself and for my parents but I've never auditioned for a musical." "Why not? Hey, when I was six years old I started to sing while doing my homework. My mum always encouraged me to audition for a musical or a show. But I was never sure if I was good enough. And some day, I got to the auditions for Hollywood Arts. It happened by chance, I was just looking around. And yeah … they loved my voice and told me how talented I was. So I gained a lot of confidence and here I am now." I smiled at her but she sighed and said "Yeah, you have a great voice. But nobody ever said that to me. Except for my parents, but they have to say nice things to me I guess." "I tell you something: You and me, we're going to the dress rooms now and try to sing a song together. And if I tell you that you're a good singer, you will sing it later with me at the end-performance, okay?" "WHAT? No way, that will air on Channel 6! Forget it!" "C'mon! You want that Brittany and Tiffany and Pamela and whoever they are to have their moment on TV when you could take their spotlight? I swear that I will give you an honest feedback to your singing. Just take the chance!" She was struggling with herself, I saw it clearly. But then she took a deep breath and said "Ok. But please, don't humiliate me." "Oh, unless your name's not Tori, I won't" She looked at me confused. "Ah, never mind. Do you have a favourite song?" "Yeah, it's "Okay" from Backhouse Mike. You know it?" I had to laugh "Joy, I like you more every minute".

**Beck's POV**

I was surrounded by about twelve girls who were very annoying. I tried to be as nice as possible to each of them but it was just exhausting. I looked around and saw Jade going backstage with a brown-haired girl. I was curious, what she was doing but then I caught a glimpse of that boy. He was standing a little bit offside and was staring at a blonde girl; I think Tessa was her name. His look had a lot of emotion… I saw desire and … hatred? I don't know why, but something in his eyes made me nervous but I approached him. "Yo man. Everything okay?" He didn't stop gazing at Tessa while he said "Where you ever in love and then humiliated in front of many people?" I didn't exactly know how to answer. "Well …no. Why?" He turned around, slowly, and looked at me with this stabbing stare "I was." Then he walked out of the theatre, still staring at Tessa. That was one of the most puzzling conversation I ever had. My inner alarm ringed. And that was always a bad sign. But I had no time to think more about it because James announced that the performance of the students with the actors would start now. And ten girls started begging me to perform with them. Great!


	10. Hate is safer than love Part 2

_**Part 2**_

**Jade's POV**

I told James to let me and Joy perform at the end of the shows. I heard her sing and she was fabulous. But it was really hard work to assure her that she had a great talent and that it was about time to show it to the world. So we watched the scenes and songs, some were pretty good and some were just crap. Now it was our turn. "Enjoy our performance; it will blow you away guys." I smirked at the audience and started to sing the first lines.

_I like your smile  
But even introductions need to last awhile  
Sometimes I don't know if I'm right or wrong  
And in the end it seems like everything is worse when you're gone_

There is no upper hand  
I'm giving you mine  
It doesn't have to end up wasting your time  
There's things that I could say  
But hear it my way  
I want to let you know that it's all okay

And now was Joy's turn:

_So there you are  
Mistakenly mistaken for a deeper scar  
A hole in your heart  
And the same for me  
Is everything you touch keeping you down  
or setting you free_

There is no upper hand  
I'm giving you mine  
It doesn't have to end up wasting your time  
There's things that I could say  
But hear it my way  
I want to let you know that it's all okay

Shelter my eyes from the sun  
And wait for the birds to fly by  
Trying to reach every one  
And know what you're feeling inside  
Deep in my head now it's like a dream goodbye

_(Lyrics by Backhouse Mike)_

I looked at the students and I saw their surprised and perplexed faces and I smiled to myself. I knew that nobody would have expected her to be that great. And I was really proud that she proved them wrong! It was time for our duet verse:

_There is no upper hand  
I'm giving you mine  
It doesn't have to end up wasting your time  
There's things that I could say  
But hear it my way  
I want to let you know that it's all okay  
Want to let you know that it's all okay  
Want to let you know  
That it's all okay_

The song was over and it was completely silent. But only for a minute, then a huge applause started and the students stormed on the stage and started to ask Joy questions and make her compliments, short, to kiss her ass. "Hypocrites" I murmured to myself but Beck heard it. "You did a great job today." He smiled proudly at me. "Yeah … don't get used to that. But real talent has to be facilitated." James came to me and hugged me with a huge smile on his face. "I knew that only Jade West could find the quietest kid of the school just to bring her great talent to light. You're awesome, Babe" "Okay, okay, I'm not a saint. Can we go now?" "Just stay for another twenty minutes here, the people from Channel 6 want to talk to Beck and me outside. You know; business." "Alright. But don't let me wait too long!" He gave me a kiss "I wouldn't dare to."

They left as well as some of the students and teachers. There were only Ariana, Blair, Garrett, Anthony, Joy, a girl named Tessa and a few other insignificant boys and girls.

I wanted to talk to Joy in private when I saw in the corner of my eye a boy coming into the theatre. He looked pretty messed up and carried something in his hand. I slowly realised: it was a gun.


	11. Hate is safer than love Part 3

**Hey **

Here's the next part and it's a severe one. I'm always shocked when I hear about school shootings and gun rampages (like the one in Aurora at the Batman-premier. My deepest sympathy for all the victims and their families). I can't really imagine what's going on in the heads of these committers and I really don't want to know.

By the way, thanks for the reviews.

_**Part 3**_

**Jade's POV**

Holy shit! The look on this guy's face was serious and I guess the gun was not a water pistol. While he made his way to the stage, I grabbed my phone and sent a message to James: Theatre. Boy with gun. SERIOUS! Suddenly I heard Ariana screaming: "Oh my god, he has a gun!" Abruptly everybody started moving: some tried to run away, the others just laid flat on the ground. I just remained where I was before and then the guy shot – luckily on the ceiling. But everybody stopped moving and screaming. "Everybody shut up! And nobody leaves the room unless I say so!" The guy shouted. He seemed nervous but also serious and up to everything. He was capricious. "Everybody up on the stage, now!" We did like he said and I was standing next to Joy and Blair. Joy took my hand anxiously, Blair seemed calm. But I knew her well enough to know, that she was freakin' out inwardly. Ariana as well as some other girls were crying. "Hey dude, I don't know what your problem is. But how about you put the gun away and talk about it? You wouldn't do any mistakes, right?" Garret tried to calm the boy down but he seemed to look even more enraged. "Talk? TALK? I've talked enough to my parents and my doctor and my psychologist and you know what? I'm done with talking! I don't care if I hurt someone because nobody ever cared if I get hurt! You know what? I've always been the stupid geek-boy who everybody laughed at and played pranks! And then I was stupid enough to fall in love with this bitch" he points at Tessa who turned pale "who didn't just turn me down, no! She had to embarrass me in front of the whole school! Do you think that is fair?" He was screaming and shivering. Now I lost my courage too. A broken-hearted guy who was humiliated his entire life. That sounds bad. Doctor and psychologist? Sounds like deep mental problems; he's a ticking time bomb. One false word and he will lose himself and start shooting. "Paul, I'm really sorry for that. I never wanted to hurt you that bad, I just thought … you know … it was fun." Tessa tried to talk to him. He looked at her, laughed and said "Oh, shut the fuck up, you stupid liar. You're just trying to save your oh-so-perfect ass. You're not sorry! You were enjoying every minute of my pain!" "Ok, man. We know she's a bitch. But why do you have to hold us hostage? You should take revenge on her!" A tall, blonde boy said. What the hell? Tessa started crying and screamed "Shut up, Billy!" "Why should I? I don't want to get my head blown off just because you and that creep have relationship issues" "You probably should shut your face, dickhead!" I said to him. "Yeah. Listen to the lady, Billy. You like being Quarterback, right? Being the star of the school and bullying the weak ones. How about that: I can end your career immediately, just one shot. Will you shut up now?" "Yeah, right. All mouth and no trousers" he says and just in that moment, Paul pulls the trigger and Billy falls to the ground. We're shocked and Blair runs to check up on him. "Fuck man! Are you insane? Holy crap, that hurts!" Paul cries. Billy shot him in the leg. I try to calm myself down. That's the proof, there's no kidding with this guy. "Well, you didn't believe me" Paul says "Has anybody any doubt that I'm serious? Good"

**Beck's POV**

We walked out on the schoolyard with the Channel 6 people, when I saw the boy I've had a talk earlier passing us. He had a dark expression on his face and headed to the theatre. But then James and the reporter started talking and I forgot what I saw. The man wanted to know a few things when suddenly James phone rang. "Just a sec" he read the message out loud. "It's from Jade: Theatre. Boy with gun. SERIOUS! What the hell?" He looked confused but suddenly I remembered: the strange boy, the look on his face, his hand in his pocket. "Shit, did you see the guy who passed us? I talked to him earlier and he seemed pretty messed up and talked weirdly. Call 911, now! Suddenly we heard a shot. "Jade!" I thought to myself and ran to the school building, James on my heels with the phone on his ear. But when I opened the door, a bunch of students and teachers were leaving and pushed us out away. Two safety guards left the building last and closed the door. "That's an evacuation. Nobody can enter the school until the situation is clear" "But, my girlfriend is still in the theatre! And there's the guy with the gun! Someone's probably hurt!" James screamed at the man. "I'm afraid, Sir, but we can't afford to endanger anyone else. The police is on the way" Just in that moment, I heard a couple of sirens and a few seconds later, five police cars arrived in front of the school. One of the safety guards went towards the police officer and tried to explain the situation. I joined them as well. "Excuse me; I've talked to the boy today. He said something like he was in love and then humiliated in front of many people. I think the involved girl's name is Tessa and she's in the theatre. He seemed very upset and angry." The police officer nodded and said "Thank you that may help a lot. Then he took the radio set and ordered help from the special force.

In my entire life I was never afraid of something. But the feeling that I could lose Jade forever scared the hell out of me. And now it was evident: I still loved her. What if she gets hurt? Suddenly, there was a second shot. The people started panicking and the police tried to calm them down. Where's the damn fortification? Oh my god, what if somebody's dead now? What if it is Jade? No! She can't be! He won't hurt her! I went to James, who lost his calmness completely. He was running up and down and looking constantly on his phone. Clearly, he was worried about Jade too. "What did the police officer said?" He looked at me anxiously. "He ordered help from the special force. They should arrive soon. Hopefully" At that moment about six black SUVs arrived at the school and hooded police men bailed out. Then James' phone rang again. "Jade!" He screamed "He shot a boy. Leg. Lot of blood. Danger!" He was completely pale. "Thank god, she's not hurt" I whispered. "Yeah, but it sounds like it's just a question of time, 'til he shots someone again" James said and ran to the police officer. I looked at the building. "Oh Jade."

**Jade's POV**

While Blair tried to take care of Billy's leg, I hid behind Garrett and wrote a text message to James as quickly as possible. They need to know, that somebody's hurt. I hope the police has arrived yet and we'll get help soon. "Hey, go away from him. He doesn't deserve any help!" Paul yelled and Blair back off. "But … he's bleeding! He will lose too much blood and he could die! Do you really want this?" Blair looked him in the eyes and Paul seemed to think. "O... okay. But you're the only one to take care of him! And don't you dare do anything stupid!" Blair nodded and kneeled next to Billy.

I took a deep breath. "Paul? Please, listen to me. I understand how you feel. Trust me, I know how it is to get hurt from the one you love. But do you really think this will help you? Just think of it: You're holding people hostage and you shot someone. That won't make anything better for you, all will get worse. The longer you hold us here the more blood Billy will lose. What if he dies? You'll be a murderer and end up in jail. Just to get revenge on a girl, who humiliated you? Is that worth all the trouble? Cast off your whole life just to get even with her?" He looked at me speechlessly than he said "Who said that I want to continue my damn life? I want peace. And I want that everybody knows what a bitch she is and what her behaviour caused." Everyone was silent except for Tessa who cried out loud: "Please, Paul, I'm beggin' you to stop this! Okay, I'll do everything you want and I'll apologize in front of the whole school and … I don't know. Just stop this. You don't have to do it for me, but the others here are all innocent!" "Yeah, right. Just shut up, or I'll blow your ice-could heart away!" Tessa was quiet immediately and Paul calmed down a little bit. "Oh my god, he's unconscious. He has to get into a hospital as soon as possible!" Blair shouted. "Please, Paul!" "Shut uuuuuuuuuup!" Paul ran over to Blair and held the gun to her head. I gasped and my heart rushed. Where's the fucking police? Garrett lost the entire colour from his face and slowly approached Paul and Blair. "Hey, Paul, calm down. Please, leave her alone, she didn't do anything to you. She just wants to help." "Screw your help! Everybody wants to help someone but who helped me? I needed so much help but nobody saw it! No, they laughed at me!" Paul cried desperately.

"That's crap man, I understand. But put the gun away. You know that you don't want to hurt her. You're not a bad person. It sucks that nobody wanted to help you but you'll get help now. Just stop this and leave her alone. Let us all go. Come on. You're just a good boy who wasn't treated well by his fellow men. But that's no reason to kill somebody who doesn't even know you and has never ever done something bad to you." Garrett talked slowly and appeasing to Paul. It seemed to work. The grip around Blair's throat loosened up and he moved the gun towards the floor.

Suddenly, hooded police men were everywhere and they threatened Paul to put the gun away. He was getting all nervous again and then he shot. Now everything happened really fast: The police approached Paul and disarmed him and Garrett fell to the ground. Paul shot him in the chest and Blair ran immediately to him, me too. Two police man came to us, some other checked up on Billy. They ordered help from the ambulance and a few minutes later, some paramedics entered with two barrows. Garrett was bleeding extremely, Blair was crying and I was just shocked and couldn't do anything else than comfort her.

**Beck's POV**

Since the captain gave the permission to enter the school, I was even more nervous. What if the boy goes completely crazy when he sees the police and just starts shooting at everyone? We waited and waited and suddenly there was a third shot. Than it was silent again for a few minutes until we heard a voice on the radio. They needed quickly two barrows, two people were shot. Oh my god, please let it not be Jade. I knew that it was like I was hoping that somebody else was hurt but in that moment I really didn't care. I just wanted her to get out safe. Than some students left the building with police men, I saw a crying Joy, some other kids and a crying Ariana! James and me run over to her and tried to calm her down and talk to her, but she was sobbing and couldn't speak. That meant nothing good. We watched the door intensely and then paramedics left the building. The one barrow with an unknown boy and the other with … Garrett! Oh my god! It looked, like he was shot in the chest. Directly behind them, Blair and Jade left the school last. Blair was crying, Jade hold her with her head down. When she looked up, she looked me directly in the eyes. I was so relieved, that she was safe. I wanted to run to her, hug her and kiss her, tell her that I love her. But then James ran to her und took her in his arms.

The main issue was that she was safe.


End file.
